Table of Contents
The legal confrontation between Evolution AB and Playtech has emerged as one of the most significant corporate disputes in iGaming history, involving covert intelligence operations, multi-billion dollar damage claims, and fundamental questions about competitive ethics in the B2B gaming sector.
Background: December 2020-November 2021
The dispute originated in December 2020 when Playtech Software Limited contracted Israeli private intelligence firm Black Cube to investigate Evolution’s business practices. Court documents later revealed Playtech paid Black Cube over £1.8 million to produce a report examining Evolution’s alleged activities in prohibited and sanctioned markets.
Black Cube employed veterans of Israeli intelligence services, including former Mossad and Shin Bet operatives, who conducted investigations using false identities. Agents posed as representatives of a Sudanese billionaire interested in Nordic tech investments, consulting firm representatives, and other fabricated personas. The firm secretly recorded conversations with Evolution employees and executives during the investigation period.
In November 2021, law firm Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP submitted Black Cube’s findings to US state gambling regulators, specifically the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The report alleged Evolution had conducted operations in prohibited jurisdictions and violated US sanctions. The report was subsequently leaked to media outlets, causing Evolution’s share price to drop sharply, erasing billions in market value.
Evolution’s Legal Response: December 2021
On December 14, 2021, Evolution filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of New Jersey against Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP and the then-anonymous parties behind the report. The complaint alleged defamation, trade libel, tortious interference with prospective economic advantage, fraud, and other illegal conduct.
Evolution’s primary objective was to identify the entities that commissioned and financed the intelligence operation. For several years, both Black Cube and its client employed various legal strategies to conceal their identities, asserting privilege and immunity protections.
Regulatory Investigations: 2021-2024
The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board conducted thorough investigations into Black Cube’s allegations. In February 2024, both regulatory bodies closed their investigations without taking corrective action against Evolution.
The NJDGE stated it found “no evidence showing that Evolution took illegal bets from New Jersey, another state, or any other prohibited jurisdiction,” and “no evidence of inappropriate payments to Evolution by its clients.” The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reached similar conclusions.
These regulatory determinations became critical evidence in subsequent court proceedings, effectively undermining the factual basis of Black Cube’s original report.
Court Orders Black Cube to Reveal Client: September 2024
In September 2024, the New Jersey Superior Court issued a decisive ruling compelling Black Cube to identify its client. Judge John C. Porto concluded that the substance of the allegations had been effectively resolved by regulatory findings.
The court described Black Cube’s 2021 report as “objectively baseless” and stated that “no reasonable litigant could expect success on the merits.” The judge ordered Black Cube to produce comprehensive discovery materials, including identification of all individuals and entities that commissioned, financed, or received copies of the report, along with payment records and invoices.
Black Cube initially resisted the order, seeking emergency review from the New Jersey Appellate Division and subsequently the New Jersey Supreme Court. Both appeals were unsuccessful, forcing the intelligence firm to comply with discovery requirements.
Black Cube Presents New Evidence: August 2024
Before revealing its client’s identity, Black Cube submitted a 118-page affidavit signed by its sole director Dr. Avi Yanus in August 2024. The affidavit detailed an extended investigation conducted between 2020 and 2025, including alleged secret recordings of current and former Evolution executives purportedly discussing how games reached prohibited jurisdictions.
Evolution responded that the affidavit represented an attempt to shift focus away from revealing the client’s identity. The company argued Black Cube provided no substantially new information beyond what had already been dismissed by regulatory bodies and courts.
Playtech Revealed as Client: October 2024
In October 2024, Evolution announced through discovery that Playtech Software Limited, a subsidiary of Playtech Plc, was responsible for commissioning Black Cube’s investigation. The revelation confirmed longstanding speculation that a competitor had financed the intelligence operation.
Evolution CEO Martin Carlesund stated: “We never wanted to believe our adversary was a competitor, as it harms the reputation of the gaming industry as a whole. We are angry and we are sad. It is a bad day for the industry.”
Court documents revealed that high-level Playtech executives, including CEO Mor Weizer, communicated with Black Cube regarding the investigation and report preparation. In addition to Black Cube and Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP, Playtech had hired HeraldPR, a public relations firm founded by Juda S. Engelmayer, to manage media aspects of the report’s release.
Playtech’s shares experienced dramatic volatility following the revelation, initially dropping approximately 34% before partially recovering. The company issued a statement defending its decision to commission the investigation, characterizing it as a legitimate inquiry into “credible and repeated concerns raised by operators, suppliers and regulators about Evolution’s activities in prohibited and sanctioned markets.”
Evolution Identifies Playtech as Black Cube Client Behind 2021 Defamatory Campaign provides detailed coverage of this revelation and its immediate impact on both companies.
Competitive Ethics Under Scrutiny
The disclosure of Playtech’s involvement prompted widespread discussion about acceptable boundaries in B2B gaming competition. The case raised questions about corporate intelligence operations, the use of covert investigative methods against competitors, and the responsibility of companies commissioning such investigations.
Evolution vs. Playtech Boundaries in B2B Gaming Competition examines the broader implications of this corporate intelligence operation for industry standards and competitive ethics.
Success Fee Structure Disclosed: November 2024
Court filings submitted in November 2024 revealed the financial arrangement between Playtech and Black Cube, including substantial success fees tied to specific outcomes against Evolution.
According to testimony from Dr. Avi Yanus, Black Cube had signed two letters of engagement with Playtech, dated December 30, 2020, and May or June 2022. The agreements outlined success fees including:
- £150,000 for uncovering alleged wrongdoing
- £175,000 if major media coverage followed
- £350,000 if regulators opened an inquiry
- £500,000 if Evolution lost a gambling licence
After the report’s 2021 release, Playtech paid £675,000 for meeting the first three benchmarks. The second letter of engagement included additional success fees for a supplemental investigation, including £150,000 for new mainstream media articles and £200,000 if Evolution lost a licence.
Dr. Yanus confirmed during deposition that Playtech was fully aware of Black Cube’s investigative tactics, which were explicitly detailed in the letters of engagement. Playtech also covered all of Black Cube’s legal fees and reimbursed the firm for payments to Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP.
Black Cube Seeks Dismissal: December 2024
Black Cube filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit under the New Jersey Uniform Public Expression Protection Act (UPEPA), arguing the case represents a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) designed to silence legitimate regulatory reporting. The firm’s defense relies on the Noerr-Pennington doctrine, which protects entities that petition government agencies.
Black Cube’s legal team maintains their reports to regulatory authorities were factually accurate and that Evolution has not demonstrated actual malice. The intelligence firm continues to present evidence claiming Evolution games remain accessible in restricted markets, including documentation from investigations conducted as recently as October 2025.
Black Cube Files Motion to Dismiss Evolution Lawsuit, Presents New Evidence of Games in Restricted Markets details the intelligence firm’s current defense strategy and the new evidence presented to support dismissal.
The motion to dismiss is scheduled for court consideration, though specific hearing dates have not been publicly disclosed.
Current Status and Future Proceedings
Evolution has amended its lawsuit to include both Black Cube and Playtech as defendants. The case is expected to proceed through 2026, focusing on the creation, funding, and distribution of the 2021 report.
Evolution seeks comprehensive damages for what it describes as multi-billion dollar harm to its business and reputation. The company is demanding additional discovery materials, including identities of Black Cube agents who conducted the investigation, complete payment records, and communications between Playtech executives and the intelligence firm.
Black Cube has resisted disclosing agent identities, claiming the operatives—described as Mossad and Shin Bet veterans—could face personal and professional harm if unmasked. The firm has maintained that it followed standard intelligence-gathering protocols and acted in coordination with its client throughout the investigation.
Playtech continues to defend its decision to commission the investigation, stating it “welcomes court examination of the report” and remains “confident that these proceedings will confirm the credibility and legitimacy of the investigation.” The company maintains that Evolution seeks to avoid scrutiny of its business practices in prohibited markets.
Industry Implications
The Evolution-Playtech-Black Cube dispute has prompted discussion within the iGaming sector about acceptable boundaries in B2B competition. The case involves questions about corporate intelligence operations, the use of covert investigative methods against competitors, and the responsibility of companies commissioning such investigations.
Evolution CEO Carlesund emphasized the broader implications: “When a competitor decides not to play by these rules, it hurts not only us but the industry as a whole.”
The litigation is expected to establish precedents regarding corporate intelligence activities in the gaming industry, particularly concerning the use of former intelligence operatives, secret recordings, and false pretenses in competitive research.
As proceedings continue through 2026, the case will likely address damages calculations, the extent of Playtech’s involvement in report preparation and distribution, and the legal protections available to intelligence firms conducting investigations at client request.
Source: Evolution AB, New Jersey Superior Court
